Digital age makes it harder for parents to tune in

Kids spent a lot of time listening to music on personal devices. Do you know what your children are listening to?

Photo By UIG via Getty Images

Was the file she's listening to downloaded legally or illegally? Parents need to know.

More Information

Parental guidance guide

Parents need to know whether their child is legally obtaining music from the Internet. Here are some digital jargon definitions to help those who aren't tech-savvy:

Blogs: Short for “web log,” a diary or journal published on the Internet. Blogs can be used to post links to files, which may be illegal copies of music, films or other entertainment.

Cyberlocker: A service for storing large quantities of files on the Internet. Frequently used for sharing music illegally. Also referred to as a “digital storage locker.”

Downloading: Copying a file from a website such as a peer-to-peer (P2P) network.

File-sharing: Copying files from one computer to another, either using file servers on a network or by downloading files over the Internet through a P2P network. Often allows others, whom you may not know, to access information on your computer via the Internet, including music and personal files.

Filtering: A way of restricting access to certain content, websites or functions online.

IP address: Short for Internet protocol address, a number similar to a telephone number that can be used to identify the account holder of a computer when it is connected to the Internet.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) programs: Networks, such as LimeWire, that connect individual computers through the Internet and allow users to download content directly from hard drives. Such networks are commonly used for copyright piracy and have been identified as a prime source of computer viruses.

Ripping: Making a digital copy of music or video from a CD/DVD to a file, typically so it can be transferred to and played on a computer or portable media player such as an iPod.

Spyware: A malicious program installed on a computer without the user's knowledge, typically used to report information about the user and his or her activities online.

Streaming: Transmitting music, film or TV over the Internet in real time so it can be played on a computer or media player but is not stored on the device.

Uploading: Adding a file to a website such as a P2P network. Also referred to as “sharing.” Uploading can happen inadvertently as many P2P sites configure their software so that any files you download (and any other files in your “shared folder”) are automatically made accessible to anyone else on the P2P network that requests them.

Source: RIAA, www.riaa.com. More information and tips for parents can be found at www.commonsensemedia.org and www.pauseparentplay.org.

SAN ANTONIO — One thing hasn't changed since Elvis Presley's hip gyrations and grunted lyrics whipped 1950s teenagers into a frenzy: Parents still take issue with their kids' choices in music. Almost everything else, from what's considered explicit to accessing music online, has changed.

In the digital era of streaming, downloading and file-sharing, parents must be diligent if they want to know what their child is listening to.

“I don't monitor her as much as some parents might,” said Debra Zimmerman of her teenage daughter, Madison. “I try to listen to what she listens to, so I'm in tune with stuff. I'm concerned about explicit foul language or negative references to women.”

Zimmerman said Madison likes listening to the radio, so she's used to the clean versions of songs.

“I bought a Fergie CD, and it had all the bad words in it,” Zimmerman, of San Antonio, said. “She was kind of blown away when she heard the unedited version.

“We've had a talk about how that's not appropriate, and she recognizes that. I think (kids) like (music) more for entertainment than the words or message sometimes.”

While it's the parents' responsibility to communicate with their kids on what is or isn't appropriate music, tools are also available if backup is needed.

The Recording Industry Association of America's Parental Advisory Label program informs people whether content — on both physical and digital products — is appropriate for younger audiences. The program began in 1985 to appease the Parents Music Resource Center, a committee with the goal of increasing parental control over children's access to potentially offensive music.

According to Cara Duckworth Weiblinger, RIAA's vice president of communications, the PAL program's guidelines determine if a recording contains strong language or depictions of violence, sex or substance abuse to an extent that merits parental notification. The program is voluntary — record labels and recording artists decide whether to use it.

“The First Amendment provides music creators with the ability to speak his/her mind, and we believe that constitutional right should be vehemently protected, otherwise we become a nation of censorship,” Weiblinger said. “We believe in informing parents and fans about the music they choose to listen to, and the PAL logo is a useful tool to help parents make informed choices.”

At the time the PAL program started, kids had no choice but to buy cassettes or CDs from a music store.

“Record stores were in part the gatekeepers,” said Dave Risher, owner of Hogwild Records. “When all that commotion was being made, there was a question on whether or not we should sell the stickered things.”

In 1990, Risher was arrested and charged with obscenity for selling 2 Live Crew's album “As Nasty as They Wanna Be,” which had a PAL sticker. (He sold the album to a 20-year-old.) The charges were later dropped and the case dismissed.

“Shout-out to (PMRC co-founder) Tipper Gore for bringing this important issue to the public's attention,” Risher laughed. “I haven't thought about it in 20 years.

“What's available for kids to listen to on prerecorded audio formats pales in comparison to what they have access to at a computer these days.”

The Internet gives kids many more avenues to access what they want to hear, but there are still ways for adults to keep tabs.

Online streaming and download services such as iTunes, YouTube, Rhapsody and Pandora have controls parents can set and adjust to filter content. Spotify does not; the issue is labeled “under consideration” on the service's website. Campaigns such as Pause Parent Play and Common Sense Media also help keep parents informed by offering reviews of content and tips on how to use parental controls.

San Antonio's Annette Castro knows her teenage son John listens to Eminem and other rappers, but doesn't exactly know the music's content.

“He's probably listening to vulgar stuff and I don't even know,” she said. “He knows he can't say bad words or be disrespectful, in our house or with other people. I have confidence in him, which is probably why I haven't really checked (his music).”

Castro said John keeps his music on his phone, which is currently in her possession.

“If the music was creating an issue I would notice it in his behavior,” she said, “But now that we're talking about it, I should go in there and listen to what he's listening to.”